(POLICE RADIO CHATTER) - BOY 1: There he is! - (BOY 2 SHUSHES) - Oh, sorry. BOY 2: Superman, Superman, can we ask you some questions? - BOY 1: It's for our podcast. - Well, in that case... BOY 2: How many people that you saved... Have you saved? - I... - BOY 2: Never mind. - Does your thing really stand for hope? - Yes. It does. - BOY 1: But it looks like an "S." - Yes. It's meant to. It's... It's meant to wind like a river. It comes and goes. My... A man I knew used to say that hope is like your car keys. Easy to lose, but if you dig around, it's usually close by. BOY 1: Did you ever fight a hippo? BOY 2: No. Shh. That's dumb. BOY 1: But hippos are the most deadly. (BOY 2 STAMMERING) What's the best thing about Planet Earth? Hmm... (SIRENS WAILING) (WINGS FLAPPING) (PIGEONS COOING) (WINDOWS CREAKING OPEN) (GRUNTS) (SIGHS) (PIGEONS SQUAWKING) (BOTH GRUNTING) (GROANS) (BURGLAR GRUNTS) What are you doing? No, wait. No, wait. Wait. Wait! Please! Please, man. Please! (BEEPING) What do you want from me? Fear. They can smell it. (SCREECHING) (SCREAMING) (CREATURE SCREACHING) (SNARLING) (ALARM BLARING) (BATMAN GRUNTS) (BATMAN GROANS) (GROANS) (CREATURE SNARLING) (WHIRRING) (WHIRRING INTENSIFIES) What the hell? (BURGLAR PANTING) - What was that? - A scout. From space? Like an alien army? BATMAN: Alfred, are you seeing this? ALFRED: I am. Matches the other sightings. And that pattern is all over Luthor's notes. Prep the jet. We're going north tonight. ALFRED: Good. It's time, then. BURGLAR: It's 'cause they know he's dead, right? Superman. He's gone. Where does that leave us? www.able.co.nz Able 2020 (PLAYING "EVERYBODY KNOWS" BY SIGRID) (RAIN PATTERING) (INDISTINCT ARGUING) (INAUDIBLE) (SIRENS WAILING IN THE DISTANCE) GUARD 1: Drop your guns now! - (ALARM BEEPING) - GUARD 2: Excuse me. - (GUARD 2 GROANS) - (PEOPLE SCREAMING) GUNMAN 1: Go! (SCREAMING CONTINUES) Move it! Move! Move! GUNMAN 2: Get down! Line them up along the wall! Keep them quiet! (ALL WHIMPERING) TEACHER: Children, stay close to me. (SIRENS WAILING) Who are you? The Lasso of Hestia compels you to reveal the truth. Now, who are you? We're a small group of reactionary terrorists. - We know that sin has brought on this plague of aliens. - Why the hostages? (CHUCKLING) You're too late. The countdown's already begun. In a few minutes, four city blocks... (MIMICS EXPLOSION) While the world watches. - (PEOPLE SCREAMING) - GUNMAN: Hush! Shut up! LEADER: This is man's best hope. Down with the modern world. Back to the Dark Ages, and the safety of holy fear. - (BEEPS) - (SCREAMING CONTINUES) - GUNMAN: Quiet! (ALL GRUNTING) (BEEPING) (GROANS) (ALL WHIMPERING) This would've been over quickly, but... No! Don't! (ALL SCREAMING) I don't believe it. What are you? A believer. (WIND HOWLING) BRUCE: I'm asking for your help. I believe there is a stranger who comes to this village from the sea. He comes in the winter when the people are hungry and brings fish. He comes on the king tide. That was last night. (SPEAKING ICELANDIC) Icebergs in the harbor, four months since the last ship got through. Well, this stranger doesn't come by ship. There are enemies coming from far away. I need warriors. I'm building an alliance to defend ourselves. Look, I'll give you $25,000 to talk to this man right now. - Outside. - (SPEAKING ICELANDIC) (ALL LAUGHING) (COUGHING) Tell me what those three boxes are and I'll make it $30,000. You should get out. Can you at least point me to Atlantis? (GROANING) (BREATHING HEAVILY) Arthur Curry. Also known as Protector of the Oceans. The Aquaman. I hear you can talk to fish. ARTHUR: So let me get this straight. You do it dressed like a bat? Like an actual bat? It's worked for 20 years in Gotham. Oh, that shithole. When the fight comes, we'll need you. - Don't count on it, Batman. - Why not? 'Cause I don't like you coming here, digging into my business and getting into my life. People from Atlantis tell me, "Do this." Now you say, "Do that." - I wanna be left alone. - Is that why you help these people out here in the middle of nowhere? 'Cause you can just leave? I help them 'cause no one else does. If you want to protect them, you need to work with me. "Strong man is strongest alone." You ever heard that? That's not a saying. That's the opposite of what the saying is. Yeah. Doesn't mean I'm wrong. You ever hear of Superman? He died fighting next to me. My point exactly. What's in the three boxes? - It's ancient history. - What is it? Mankind's melting the polar ice caps, destroying the ecosystem. They got it coming? Hey, I don't mind if the oceans rise. How about if they boil? Dressed like a bat. You're out of your mind, Bruce Wayne. (SPLASHES) Doesn't mean I'm wrong. So you say you have no way of reconnecting with this Aquaman? Oh, I put a tracking device in his coat, but he left without it. May, in fact, not have been his coat. Those squares from Luthor's notes. I think they must be containers of some kind. Of what? I don't know. Money. Power. Something worth starting a war over. Well, we've had luck with one person on the team list. Barry Allen of Central City. He's completely off the grid. Squatting, I think. Moves suddenly and often. Disappearing act. ALFRED: But he does visit his father. In prison for murdering his mother. Jesus. ALFRED: Young Barry always protested his father's innocence. But he was nine and nobody listened to him. We have somebody at the prison? ALFRED: Oh, yeah. We'll find the address. What about, uh, Diana? Well, you have her number. What, you could've called her. Oh! Perhaps I should fly to Paris with a handwritten note. "Will you be Bruce's teammate? Check yes or no." I'm only interested in her skill set. - (CHUCKLES) I'm sure you are. - Can we? Ah, well, facial recognition's a bit dodgy on this one. But they've got a partial match. A Victor Stone. Genius IQ, football scholarship to GCU, and deceased. Figures. Fairy tales and ghost stories. One misses the days when one's biggest concerns were exploding wind-up penguins. The simple life. I don't recognize this world. I don't have to recognize it. I just have to save it. (PHONE RINGING) Here to see Henry Allen. Sign. (PHONE RINGING, CHILD CRYING) Hurry it up, will you? What, you got a problem? No, there's no problem. Better not be. You know where to go. Are those prescription? Or are you just trying to look brainy? HENRY: Because you're holding yourself back. You're going in circles. You're working three dead-end jobs, going on four. Where do you even have the time? - I make the time. - And this is all to pay for a criminal justice degree, huh? Okay, I really don't wanna talk about this again. The investigation was botched. Give me your hand, man. (HENRY SIGHS) I want you to listen to me, Barry, because I mean this. I want you to give all that up. And I want you to stop coming to see me. I am a drag on your life. Please don't ever say that to me again. - Please? - You can be whatever you want to be. You're brilliant, man. Absolute best of the best. I can't sit here and watch you run in place in Central City for some old dude who is not going anywhere. - Dad, that's not true. - GUARD: It's time. - That's not true. - GUARD: Let's go, Allen. Allen! I want you to make your own future. You're living in the past. Make your own future. - GUARD: Open gate. - (ALARM BLARES) (SIREN WAILING) Lab's all yours, Howard. 11:30. Early night for you, Silas. Yes. Early. I never got to say... I'm very sorry about what happened. Victor was a wonderful kid. Thank you. SILAS: Victor. Victor, you're not stuck up here. You can have a life. You can have more than... (SIGHS) - If you stay up here brooding... - VICTOR: I'm processing. I can access everything. But I can't put it all together. Not yet. But if you worked with me, if we had the change engine... VICTOR: So you'd do to someone else what you did to me? No. The box stays hidden. If you could see what we're learning from the Kryptonian ship... I think the change engine could integrate with its energy, - get it powered up and` - VICTOR: Does anybody know? - What? - At the lab. Does anybody know I'm alive? I... (STAMMERING) - didn't think you were ready for them to` - To what? For them to see the monster? You are not a monster. It's weird that you thought I meant me. What I did... I lost your mother in that accident. I wasn't about to... I couldn't bear to lose my son. But you did. I got a language in my head that I don't speak. It's not just digital. It's alien. Every day, I wake up different. Modified. How do you... ? Couldn't do that last night. Ever since we got visitors from Krypton, people have been waiting for the next alien invasion. Now I gotta wonder if I'm it. (HOWARD WHISTLING) (OBJECTS CLATTERING) (RUSTLING) (CREATURE CHITTERING) (CREATURE SCREECHES) - (HORSES WHINNYING) - (AMAZONS URGING HORSES) (CUBE VIBRATING) (SIGHS) - Any changes today? - No, my Queen. The Mother Box has awoken, yet nothing has happened. It has slept for thousands of years, since the First Age. - Why did it wake at all? - (VIBRATING INTENSIFIES) COMMANDING AMAZON: Amazons! On your mark! (GROANS) COMMANDING AMAZON: Yes, soldiers! Fight on! Ready! Steppenwolf. STEPPENWOLF: Mother. Millennia in exile, searching... At last you call me home. HIPPOLYTA: You will not like your welcome. Oh, I think I will. (CREATURES SCREECHING) COMMANDING AMAZON: Steady! Forward! (GROANS) (STEPPENWOLF GRUNTS) - Gather the legions! - You must seal the cage! - Go! PHILIPPUS: Flank right! (AMAZONS GRUNTING) Yes. Run. HIPPOLYTA: Seal the gates! (AMAZONS GRUNTING) (YELLING) (HIPPOLYTA PANTING) Keep it moving. (AMAZONS URGING HORSES) (HORSES WHINNY) (STEPPENWOLF GRUNTING) (GROANS) (GRUNTING) Got it! Go! (URGES HORSE) (GROANS) - (PANTING) - STEPPENWOLF: Enough. (EUBOEA GROANING) Noble Queen, why do you fight? After the Unity, you will join my legion and you will know the righteousness of power. You will love me. (AMAZONS YELLING) You all will. (HORSES WHINNY) We have to light the ancient warning fire. The fire has not burned for 5,000 years. Men won't know what it means. Men won't. She will. Listen to me, Diana. (ENGINE REVS) Assertive ` that's how I describe my driving. On the open road, you're aiming for about 10 to 15 above the road sign. Nah, nah, passengers don't get to call the shots. I'm the one driving, so I choose the speed. (WEATHER REPORT PLAYS ON RADIO) (ENGINE REVS) If you wanna drive, then you can drive. That's what I always fire back. They just don't understand how you can drive quickly and safely. If anyone tells me to slow down, I give them the same response every time ` my car, my rules. (ENGINE REVS) * CONSERVATIONIST: What did you do this weekend, Diana? - Me? - Yeah. Nothing very interesting. (CHUCKLES) That's all you ever tell us. What can I say, I'm not that exciting. REPORTER: (ON TV) ... so-called shrine of the Amazons, an enormous bonfire burned right behind me, baffling absolutely everyone from locals to government authorities alike. The fire could be seen for miles on end. Invasion. On the local scene, this janitor's wife had some strong words for the aliens she says stole her man. My Howard is a good man. He's a provider. And these aliens are gonna (BLEEP) probe him? Come down to the Lakeview, and I'll stick a (BLEEP) probe up your alien (BLEEP), you (BLEEP). MARTHA: I found a little place. By the diner. Suits me just fine. LOIS: I wish you'd said something. MARTHA: Oh, no. I got behind in the payments. And you know the banks ` jump like a cougar if you miss by a dime. Place was too big for me, anyway. Shuffling around like an old ghost. Well, I might've been able to talk to someone, or... You had enough to deal with. Don't need to add "mother-in-law" to the list. Not that I was ever... GARRET: Hey, Lane. Who was your source, the activist in that university? Well, it's my source. I got tapped for the kidnapping story. There were all those student protests. Anyway, I'm thinking it's political. So, who's your guy? Well, I'll see if she'll take your call. (SCOFFS) So it's a she. Hmm. It's not a she. Sounds like you should be working that story. I'm... I'm not ready yet. I'm perfectly happy doing fluff pieces - about kitten grooming. - (CHUCKLES) For a while. It was hard coming back here at all. Well, I can hardly read the news, anyway. So much bitterness. Of course I think it's all because he's gone. But I suppose a mother does. But it's not like there's any less that needs reporting. And Clark promised me you were gonna bring home another Pulitzer. - Oh, did he? - Oh, yes. He did. He said that you were the thirstiest young woman that he'd ever met. (MARTHA CHUCKLING) Hungriest. - Hungriest... Yeah. - (BOTH CHUCKLING) He said you could smell a story further away than he could hear. Well, stories just made sense. It was more than just a puzzle. It was about the truth. It was about seeing the engine of the world. When it still ran. (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) ALFRED: Victor Stone. Deceased. (WHIRRING) (PLAYING DIFFERENT ALARM TONES) (ALARM BLARING) That one. Pretty sure that's what made the alien go crazy. ALFRED: I'll see about rigging something for the suit. Won't be quick. Anything that can give me an edge. You know, I paid millions of dollars for this building's security. DIANA: Yeah, it looked expensive. Hi. A new toy? Prototype troop carrier. I once knew a man who would have loved to fly it. BRUCE: Yeah. We're gonna need more than a pilot. I think there's an attack coming. Not coming, Bruce. It's already here. DIANA: They called him Steppenwolf, the end of worlds. He lived only to conquer. (GROANS) Millions fell before his blade, or rose again as his Parademons. (SCREAMING) Nightmare creatures who feed on fear. (SCREECHING) Yeah, I think I met one. We didn't hit it off. Here in Gotham? BRUCE: They're all over. They're looking for his boxes? DIANA: The Mother Boxes. Mother Boxes. I guess Steppenwolf took the one your people were guarding. That leaves two more. I'm impressed. Don't be. I have no idea what's in them. A weapon? Some kind of power? They don't contain power. They are power. DIANA: Carried from planet to planet, the Mother Boxes combine to form the Unity, an apocalyptic power that not only destroys worlds, but transforms them into the primordial hellscape of Steppenwolf's birth world. We should have died. But we formed our own Unity. Amazons, Atlanteans, all the tribes of men fought side by side. (ALL YELLING) Warriors of legend... (YELLING) ... allies from other worlds, even the gods themselves all acted as one, laying down their lives to drive Steppenwolf away. (GROANS) Some say it drove him mad. The disgrace of his first retreat. He swore our alliance would crumble. That darkness would cover the Earth. (ALL CHEERING) And that he would return when it did. Left behind, the Mother Boxes were too dangerous to be kept together. One was entrusted to the Amazons. One to the Atlanteans. Both sealed and guarded in secure strongholds. The Box of Men was buried in secret, so that no tribe would be tempted to use its power over another. Such harmony out of such horror. It was truly an Age of Heroes. Something tells me we're not getting the band back together. The Atlanteans were forced undersea, and the Amazons to an island they can never leave. Well, I wouldn't count on the tribes of men. We tend to act like the Doomsday Clock has a snooze button. - How long until`? - Days. At most. Steppenwolf's mistake last time was attacking us. He wanted to make the Earth kneel before he destroyed us. - (CELL PHONE VIBRATING) - This time he'll just go after the boxes. BRUCE: I got a location for one of our recruits. Barry Allen. What about the other one? Victor Stone? I was hoping you would dig him up. (SIGHS) We're asking people we don't know to risk their lives. I know. That's how this works. (WHIRRING) (TRAIN HORNS) (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) Barry Allen, Bruce Wayne. You said that like it explains why there's a total stranger in my place, sitting in the dark, in my second favorite chair. Tell me about this. This is a person who looks exactly like me, but who is definitely not me. Very attractive Jewish boy. Somebody who, I don't know, stole your pocket watch? Or railroads? I know you have abilities. I just don't know what they are. My special skills include viola, web design, fluent in sign language... Gorilla sign language. Silica-based quartz sand fabric, abrasion resistant, heat resistant... Yeah, I do competitive ice dancing. It's what they use on the space shuttle to prevent it from burning up on reentry. I do very competitive ice dancing. Whoever you're looking for, it's not me. (EXHALES) You're the Batman? So, you're fast. That feels like an oversimplification. I'm putting together a team. People with special abilities. You see, I believe enemies are coming. Stop right there. I'm in. - You are? - Yeah. I need friends. People are difficult. They require a lot of focus. They, uh... They have, like, a rhythm that I haven't quite been able to... Like brunch! Like, what is brunch? You wait in line for an hour for, essentially, lunch. I mean... I don't know. People are a little slow. I'll try to keep up. Can I keep this? It's like this layer of dimensional reality, and it seems to manipulate space-time. I call it the Speed Force. Causes me to burn a tremendous amount of calories. So I'm just a black hole of snacks. I am a "snack" hole. How many people are on this special fight team? Three, including you. Three? Against what? I'll tell you on the plane. The plane? What are your superpowers again? I'm rich. (REVVING) * (TYPING) ALFRED: The program always gets twitchy with this footage. You know who we are. Are you Victor Stone? I need to speak to you. No. Face-to-face. I'm old-fashioned that way. If I was going to attack you, I would have done it by the lake. Looks like you have a date, Ms. Prince. About time somebody here did. VICTOR: Face-to-face. I've been doing some tracking. What you're looking for is sticking to the dead zones. If it gets in front of a camera, causes a surge, - I'll let you know. - That's not good enough. Not good enough? For you. Look, I don't know you, and I don't know how you got these gifts. Gifts? No one else can do what you do. No. If these are gifts, then why am I the one paying for them? We need you, Victor. And maybe you need us. I do fine alone. I told myself the same for a long time. I lost someone I loved once. I shut myself off from... From everyone. But I had to learn to open back up again. The truth is, I'm still working on it. And if you agreed to meet me,... you're working on it, too. Trust me, Victor. FISHERMAN: Mayday! Mayday! Something came down from the sky! - MAN: (ON RADIO) Cortlandt, you're cutting out. - FISHERMAN: Please help me! (GRUNTING) (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) Whiskey. And one for Ahab, there. - (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) - FISHERMAN: From the sky. I heard a cannon. - To ocean's rage. - FISHERMAN: And they came. Monsters from the sky. - (GRUNTS) - Tore right through my boat. Monsters. It's on him. (ROCK MUSIC) (MOTHER BOX VIBRATING) (YELLS) (CRASHING) (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) (YELLS) (GRUNTS) (MOTHER BOX VIBRATING) You took a hell of a hit. You all right? At last. The firstborn of beloved Queen Atlanna. Wait. Please. I knew her. Well, that makes one of us. When my parents fought in the wars, she took me in. What a saint. You dare speak of Queen Atlanna that way? Your Queen left me on my father's doorstep and never gave me another thought. Your mother left you to save your life. You cannot imagine how it hurt her. What it cost her. But you're not a defenseless child now. It would have been her responsibility to follow that monster to the surface and stop it. Now, it's yours. Then I'm gonna need something from you. (BIRDS SQUAWKING, BONGO DRUMMING) Excuse me, where am I? You're lost in the procrastination place. Yeah, right. That makes sense. MAN: Slap yourself out of it. Whoo! * (FLIES BUZZING) (STATIC ON RADIO) (PARENTS SPEAKING RUSSIAN) (THUDDING) (BUZZING IN THE DISTANCE) (DOGS BARKING) (SCREAMING) STEPPENWOLF: I see, Mother. I see why you waited to summon me. The Kryptonian's death plunged this timid world into such terror. Amazons, Atlanteans, each stands and falls alone. I know, Mother, you've waited too long for the Unity. I know. But you will feed. And my exile will come to an end. I will take my place among the New Gods. Find the last one! Its power will cleanse this world. For the Unity! For Darkseid. Oh, Victor. (SNARLING) OFFICER: Asshole! CRISPUS: Eight kidnappings. Six in Metropolis, two here. All the vics work for STAR Labs. "Attacked by a flying vampire." "Suspect was a giant bat with huge fangs." One of them was a little kid. Scared. Won't say a word but drew this. Looks like... GORDON: I know what it looks like. Come on, you think he fights criminals for 20 years here, and then he goes to Metropolis and kidnaps eight people? I'll talk to him tonight. CRISPUS: World's gone crazy, Jim. Maybe he did, too. BRUCE: Did you find the cyborg? DIANA: We spoke. Give him time. You must be Barry. I'm Diana. Hi, Barry, I'm Diana. That's not right. Great. - (SIGHS) So this is us? - Yeah, this is us. Oh! Awesome! That's the Bat-Signal! That's your... Oh, sh... (SOFTLY) Sorry. That's your signal. That means we have to go now. Yeah, that's what that means. BARRY: It's so cool. (THUNDER RUMBLING) How many of you are there? Not enough. GORDON: Eight people abducted from or near STAR Labs. Here's the potential perp. Parademons. Okay. The demons must have caught the scent of the Mother Box. They carried people away to find out what they know. So the eight may still be alive. - CYBORG: Nine. - (FLASH GASPS) The head of STAR Labs was taken as well. WONDER WOMAN: You made it. So then, there must be a nest nearby. I plotted all the sightings in Metropolis, Gotham. No pattern I can see. The lines on the map don't converge. On land. These lead back to Braxton Island between the two cities. BATMAN: Gotham Harbor. These are air vents. They all lead down to the tunnel for Metropolis Project that was abandoned in '29. Do you really think that... Oh, wow. They just... They really just vanish. Huh? Oh. That's rude. (RATS SQUEAKING) - Where are we, Alfred? - Braxton Island. You should be directly under the venting tower for the tunnel. Now look to your left, you should see a staircase. It'll give you access to the machine room. CYBORG: Define "access." BATMAN: One at a time. The bridge may not... hold. STEPPENWOLF: Just tell me the truth. WOMAN: Please, just let us go. I have a family. STEPPENWOLF: Wrong answer. - (BONES CRACKING) - (PARADEMON SNARLING) STEPPENWOLF: Humans. The stench of your fear is making my soldiers hungry. Shall I feed them? You've been near the Mother Box. Her scent is on you. Please. We have families. Why does everyone keep telling me that? HOWARD: Please, please. STEPPENWOLF: I don't need to hurt you... Right. Okay. Yeah. Here's the thing. Um... See, I'm afraid of bugs and, um, guns, and obnoxiously tall people. And murder. And I can't be here. (PARADEMON SCREECHING) It's really cool you guys seem ready to do battle and stuff, but, full transparency, I've never done battle. I've just pushed some people and run away. Save one. - What? - Save one person. Uh... Which one? Don't talk, don't fight. Get in, get one out. And then? You'll know. Okay. - (GRUNTS) - (GROANS) STEPPENWOLF: Useless. You, then. Where is my Mother Box? I'll die before I tell you. At last, one that doesn't whine. But you will scream. Dad. Victor. Ah, you were born of her. A creature of chaos. - Not how I see it. - Give it time. Ahh! (WONDER WOMAN YELLING) Amazon! (GRUNTS) Okay. (INHALES DEEPLY) Save one. Save one. This one is mine. You overestimate yourself. Child, my axe is still slick with the blood of your sisters. (WONDER WOMAN GRUNTING) (PARADEMON SNARLING) Alfred, I need the Nightcrawler. Thought you'd never ask. Crawler's on the way. Initiating remote mode. (BATMAN GROANS) - Okay, you good? - Uh-huh. Uh-huh. CYBORG: At the end of the hall, there should be stairs. Go! He's after the change engine. His Mother Box. You have to keep him from it. - Help people get to safety. - Promise me! - Go! (GRUNTS) (SCREECHES) (GRUNTS) (GROANS) (YELLS) (GRUNTING) STEPPENWOLF: Finish her! BATMAN: Sorry, guys. I didn't bring a sword. (PARADEMONS GROANING) Jesus. He is tall. (YELLING) Oh, fuck. (GROANS) (GRUNTS) Uh... So, you have the blood of the Old Gods in you. (SCREAMS) The Old Gods died. - (GROANS) - (WONDER WOMAN YELLING) - No! - (FLASH SCREAMING) - (PARADEMONS SCREECHING) CYBORG: Heads up. Thanks, Alfred, but I'll take it from here. Uh, do I know you? Primitive beings. What are we under right now? (METAL CREAKING) Gotham Harbor. You all need to move. You get him out. - BATMAN: Diana, there's no time. - Also among my fears is drowning. You are a distraction. Mother is calling. FLASH: Diana, come on! (AQUAMAN YELLS) (FLASH YELPS) (GRUNTING) (ALL GRUNTING) Oh, come on. - Whoa! - (FLASH SIGHS IN RELIEF) (GRUNTS) The change engine. FLASH: Did he just bail? GORDON: Millions in structural damage. You haven't lost your touch. But it's good to see you playing well with others. (LAUGHS) Dressed like a bat. I dig it. May be temporary. So, what made you change your mind? Steppenwolf. He took the Mother Box from Atlantis. All he needs now is the lost Box of Men. If he doesn't already have it. He doesn't have it. * (ALL SCREECHING) (PARENTS SPEAKING RUSSIAN) (PARADEMONS SCREECHING) Wow! It's like a cave. Like a bat cave. BRUCE: Barry. VICTOR: My father called it a change engine. It was found by the British during World War I. They studied it, but they couldn't even date it, it's so old. It was shelved till the night Superman died. Then she lit up like Christmas. They brought it to STAR Labs where my father recognized it as a perpetual energy matrix. That sounds cool. I thought it was like a nuclear bomb. A Mother Box destroys as it creates. It's a cycle of life, but a million times faster. My father thought it was the key to unlimited energy. New formulas. Cellular regeneration. But it's too volatile to control. He used it on you. I was in an accident. Should've died. My father thought that he could use the Mother Box to rebuild the broken parts of me with a few cybernetic enhancements. Instead he built a living machine that may be stronger than its host. BRUCE: Too much. Too much life. What's on your weird mind? Muscles, coordination, basic cellular integrity. A human being can only absorb so much. The Mother Box was designed to reshape a planet. So? So, what if you were stronger than a planet? Your cells lying dormant but incapable of decay. If you were in a conductive field, a boost from the Mother Box... Could bring him back to life. The Kryptonian ship has an amniotic chamber, - which would be a perfect` - No. - Diana... - Bruce, no. You have no idea what kind of power you are dealing with. Even if there's a fraction of a chance? That what? That we could raise a monster like Luthor did? - We have tech Luthor's never even seen. - Superman is dead. - We all wish he weren't. - We don't know what state he's in. We know we can't bring him back. But this is science beyond our limits. And that's what science is for. To do what's never been done. To make life better. Or to end it. Technology is like any other power. Without reason, without heart, it destroys us. You're risking lives. Theirs and maybe countless more. We don't have time for a control group. Is it a risk? Yes. But it's necessary. Why, because of your guilt? (SIGHS) Bruce, I was there. You didn't kill Superman. At some point, even you have to learn to move on. Did Steve Trevor tell you that? (GROANS) (BRUCE CLEARS THROAT) Superman was a beacon to the world. Why aren't you? You're an inspiration, Diana. You don't just save people, you make them see their better selves. And yet, I'd never heard of you until Luthor lured you out by stealing a picture of your dead boyfriend. You shut yourself down for a century, so let's not talk about me moving on. You know that if she kills you, we'll cover for her. We are not enough! Each of us, in our own way, is held back. And I promise you, Steppenwolf is not out there talking about ethics. He's trying to burn down the world! The way we're gonna stop him is by using his power... This power, against him. I agree. I don't like the idea of reintegrating with the Mother Box, but I was running the numbers while you were being an asshole, and there is a high probability that we can bring him back. Right, right. But we mean bring him back in like a, "Yay, he's back!" way, not in like a Pet Sematary scenario. You lose something when you die. Even Superman. Maybe not his mind. Maybe his soul. I'll have a contingency plan for that. If he wakes up and you're the first thing he sees, you'll need one. (ALARM TONE BLARING ON RECORDING) Well, that was fun while it didn't last. BRUCE: She could've stopped me. I practically dared her to. I don't see why you're pushing her. We have to boost the signal. Put it through the Batmobile speakers. Yeah, now you're changing the subject. - I have a contingency. - What? Diana was right about the risk. If the plan goes south, we're gonna bring in the big guns. But that's not... Those are very big guns. You've got a team here. Superman would bring this team together better than I ever could. His strength- - It doesn't matter how strong you are. Or what abilities you might have... He was more human than I am. He lived in this world. Fell in love. Had a job. Despite all that power. The world needs Superman. And the team needs Clark. And what does Clark need? Maybe he's at peace. He'll get over it. (DIGGING) BARRY: You know, I could do this a lot faster. I just... Is it weird that it feels disrespectful? Yep. Do you feel a sense of confidence that we're not doing something horribly wrong and macabre here? Not really. - Okay, then why- - - Because I saw Steppenwolf up close. The stories Diana told us, I believe them. Why we gotta stop him. That's the plan. That's the plan. Okay. We're not ready for... It's racially charged. You got struck by lightning, huh? Uh, yeah, that's the abridged version. - And you... - Explosion. Woke up in a lab. So we're the accidents. Yeah, that's us. (SCOFFS) Hey. No, no. (CLANGS) * VICTOR: We're approaching the Kryptonian ship. ETA 30 seconds. I'm here for him. - I swear I would never` - Save it. - Okay. - Okay. Okay. This is amazing. This is crazy. Oh, what, now it's crazy? You lunatics better know what you're doing. AI: Welcome. CYBORG: Lex Luthor fried the circuits bringing his creature to life. There's not enough charge to wake the box. I might be able to do it. I might be able to jump-start it. If I can get enough distance, I can conduct a significant electrical current. I might be able to wake the box. If that's... - still what we want. - We have to try. This must be the end of the line. So, I'm in position. CYBORG: The Mother Box is ready. You have to charge it the moment it touches the fluid. - Five. - Five. Diana's right. This is a bad idea. - Four. - Four. - CYBORG: Three. - Three. Two. Two. (BREATHES SHAKILY) CYBORG: One. (YELLS) (GROANS) (WHIRRING) (GROANING) (BREATHING HEAVILY) (SUPERHEROES APPROACHING) He's back. (POLICE RADIO CHATTER) OFFICER: Dispatch, this is 3-Adam-1-6. Backing up Code Three. I'm currently two minutes out. - (HEARTBEAT) - (TRAIN PASSING) He's not all right. DISPATCHER: Copy that. - (HEARTBEAT) - (SIREN WAILING) - CYBORG: He's scanning us. - What? Arthur, you need to relax. Your adrenaline's spiking. Because he's not all right. FLASH: Oh, no. Should we bow? Or show our bellies? (GRUNTING) Victor? Victor! - Shit! - What are you doing? - FLASH: Victor! - CYBORG: It's my armor's - defense system. - WONDER WOMAN: No! It's stronger since the interface. - I can't control it. - Victor, no! Victor! FLASH: Just think happy thoughts, Victor. Go to a happier place. (PANTING) Kal-El, no! (GROANS) He's confused. He doesn't know who he is. Pet Sematary. Arthur, we need to restrain him. (GROWLS) CYBORG: I got him. (GRUNTS SOFTLY) (GRUNTING) Kal-El, the last son of Krypton. Remember who you are. - Tell me who you` - (GRUNTS) (GROANING) (PANTING) BATMAN: Clark. I know you. Please don't make me do this. (GROANS) (GROANS) (GROANING) Alfred, I need the big gun. (YELPS) CLARK: You did this. I had to. You won't let me live. You won't let me die. The world needs you. But does it need you? Tell me. Do you bleed? LOIS: Clark! Clark. Please. (THUDS) Please. Please. Just go. Yeah. Let's go. (GROANING) Yeah, something is definitely bleeding. (BLASTING) The Mother Box. He has the last one. Want a hand with healthy? Open up some Sealord tuna. Ready to eat, our delicious tuna is perfect for busy lives, packed with protein and full of flavour. * You brought us here. You remembered. This is home. You smell good. Did I not before? (GRUNTS) Don't do that. ARTHUR: We just got our asses handed to us. And Steppenwolf has got the third box. DIANA: So we find them. If the boxes are even close to each other, there is going to be some kind of energy surge. VICTOR: Steppenwolf's gonna be keeping them somewhere where they don't read. No Internet, no satellite coverage. - Well, that narrows it down. - VICTOR: Not enough. So, you can't find them. Or maybe you don't want to. Arthur. Yeah, that was a great way to get rid of Superman. Man, I'm not doing this on purpose. Right, 'cause you can't control the machine. So is this a bad time to bring up my blood sugar? Very hungry. Victor. You can find the boxes. You share their energy. I know it's frightening, but if you go under, I promise we will pull you back out. Just keep the little merman away from me while I work. Barry, go find Alfred in the pantry. When you come back, get online. Everybody checks everybody else's work. Listen... (CLEARS THROAT) I was wondering if you could put out a feeler. Like, aquatic. Do you talk to fish? The water does the talking. Of course. If the current comes in strange, it might point the way. Okay. (BRUCE GROANING) DIANA: Wait. Let me. It's just a little out of place. (SIGHS) So Clark seemed to share your view on being woken up. He could've killed you. I was willing to make the trade. And bringing in Lois Lane? Remember what you told me about heart in the hangar? - I bet you... - (CRACKING) - ...thought I wasn't listening. Thank you. (BRUCE SIGHS) You know you can't do this forever. I can barely do it now. Steppenwolf. - This is the job. - It's my job. And I haven't been doing it. I've been reacting. Not leading. You know, what you said about Steve Trevor... It wasn't my business. I'm sorry. You were pushing me to lead the team. But leaders get people killed. I fought always when I was needed. But to lead, to step into the light and to say to people, "This is worth your life." When it's your fault, they're all Steve Trevor. We make it through tonight, you can stay in the shadows forever. Dress up like a bat. I won't even sue. If we get through the night. Are you okay? You brought us here, but you've... hardly spent a minute in the house. CLARK: I know. It's... I just got out of a wooden box. What was it like? Coming back? Itchy. I mean, honestly, weird in so many ways. - But mostly just... - I wasn't strong. I didn't, um... You would've been very disappointed in me. I wasn't Lois Lane, the dedicated reporter. I just... It's okay. I'm the idiot who left. But I'm back now. And I'm gonna make things right. Ah. You called Mom. Of course. Thank you. I was hoping it was gonna take you longer to recover. Why? Because now I have to send you away. Bruce. He needs you. Fate of the world, I think that's the deal. He was pretty tense. Well, I guess I do owe him one. (LOIS CHUCKLES) Right. But no dying. And I get the exclusive. Yes, ma'am. (TRUCK APPROACHING) (MARTHA WHIMPERING) Are you really you? I'm really me, Ma. At last. Praise to the Unity! The three as one. Praise to the mother of horrors. KZ1 was seriously out there, an extreme challenge. Spent more time in the courtroom than on the water. But the outcome created a new class and new approaches. * DIANA: Is Steppenwolf there? (DISTORTED) Just a minute. (NORMAL VOICE) Sorry. It's Pozharnov in northern Russia. The nuclear plant. Had a meltdown 30 years ago. Uh-huh. There have been some attempts to resettle nearby. But it looks like really rough sledding. Who picks this place to put down roots? People that have been kicked out of everywhere else. VICTOR: The Earth starts changing, it will hit them first. - How long have we got? - A few hours. Transport won't fly that fast. It will for me. VICTOR: The Unity brings all three boxes together in perfect sync. Its power builds until it can't be contained. But if I can cause a delay between each box, even for a nanosecond, its energy will cascade, form a loop. They'll feed on each other. BARRY: And that's it? We just pull them apart. No fuss, no muss. Separating the boxes is still gonna cause a massive surge. I'll have to be there. But you guys should think about getting clear. We're with you till it's done. Honestly, I think we're all gonna be dead way before that. And you know what? I don't mind. It's an honorable end. But we gotta shut Steppenwolf down. Superman's a no-show. You got no powers. No offense. This guy might be working for the enemy, we don't know. You're tripping over your feet and mine. Oof... You're gorgeous. And fierce, and strong, and... Mmm. I know we went to war with the Amazons, but that was before my time. And you know what? I don't wanna die. I'm young. There's shit that I want to do. I just feel like... I didn't really embrace the sea or the land. I've been a loner my whole life. But being part of something bigger like this, maybe I'm scared because I'm meant to... (SIGHS) I think that was beautiful. You say a word about this, and you'll meet every piranha I know. I honestly didn't hear anything after, "We're all gonna die." (RUMBLING) (JET APPROACHING) Ah. Let them come. I'm going to take out that tower and knock down that shield dome. You get to Steppenwolf. Don't wait for me, just do the job. (ALARM BLARING) All right, Alfred. Are we set for broadcast? Playing all your favorite hits. (ALARM TONE BLARING) (SCREECHES) Come on, follow me, you damn insects. They're coming. - (PARADEMONS SNARLING) - They're all coming. ALFRED: Ah. We might not have thought this through. He's clearing the field. He won't last three minutes. Then let's use them. On my lead. (PARADEMONS SNARLING) (BREATHING NERVOUSLY) (SPEAKING RUSSIAN) (ALARM TONE CONTINUES BLARING) COMPUTER: Critical damage. - (SNARLS) - Son of a bitch. (WONDER WOMAN YELLING) FLASH: Oh, snap! CYBORG: You're welcome. AQUAMAN: Yeah! This isn't the plan. ALFRED: No, Master Wayne. This is the team. Hey, blame the lady. We would've left you, but she didn't ask for a vote. AQUAMAN: So your genius move is dying? You really are out of your mind. I'm not the one who brought a pitchfork. Yahoo! (GROANS) (AQUAMAN GRUNTING) - Ride ain't over yet. - My man. (AQUAMAN WHOOPING) (GRUNTS) (GROANING) WONDER WOMAN: Is this what conquering is? Hiding from the fight? Oh, no. You're all mine. (YELLS) - Thanks for the lift. - Yeah, no problem. You got this? Whoa! These things are gonna keep coming. Okay. You get technical, I'm on bug duty. Let's do it. Yes! That was gross! Oh... (YELPING) (GRUNTS) Thank you. This is... This is a lot. (GRUNTS) (BOTH GRUNTING) Now do you see it? (YELLING) (STEPPENWOLF GROANING) ALFRED: Whatever you're in the middle of, it's spreading for miles. Satellites show civilians moving east. They're not gonna make it. Barry. I need you to take a walk. * God, I hope this is east. (YELLING) (GROANS) (GROWLS) (GRUNTS) (GROWLS) (POWERS DOWN) (GRUNTING) You're not worthy to touch Mother. - She's power, - and power is the only law. - (GROANING) You're all too weak to see the truth. SUPERMAN: Well... I believe in truth. But I'm also a big fan of justice. (GROANS) (GASPS) All right. (GRUNTING) Kryptonian! (GRUNTS) SUPERMAN: So, how do I help? We buy him some time, he can stop that box from destroying all life on Earth. We hope. Well, I knew you didn't bring me back 'cause you liked me. I don't not... (DISTANT SCREAMING) - Civilians. - Barry's headed... - There's too many of them. (YELLS) (GROANS) (BOTH GRUNTING) AQUAMAN: Come on. (ENGINE STALLING) Okay, this is definitely east. Slowpoke. Oh, it's on. I'll take the ones on the right. It's okay. Hold on. Hold on. Yeah. - (SIGHS) - (RUMBLING) Dostoevsky! (ALL GRUNTING) SUPERMAN: Is this guy still bothering you? Superman! We gotta pull these things apart. A couple more seconds, you'll see your opening. - Any blowback? - Big time. But I think we can take it. Good. 'Cause I really like being alive. So do I. (BOTH GRUNTING) (PANTING) Clark. (CYBORG GROANS) I take it back. I wanna die. (LAUGHING) CYBORG: Man, my toes hurt! I don't even understand the physics of how my toes hurt. (LAUGHING) Children. I work with children. Uh... Have you guys seen what's going on outside? (STEPPENWOLF GRUNTS) I am the end of worlds! Who are you to defy... (PANTING) This world is my right! (GROANS) (BLOWING) (YELLING) No! This cannot be. You recognize that smell? (SNARLING) Fear. No! Leave me! Get off me! I command you. (SCREAMS) No! No! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all! - (AQUAMAN LAUGHS) - (BANGS FIVEDENT) Booyah! I'm glad I didn't miss this. So am I. Yeah. Now she's glad. (SIGHS) (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) "Thank you" is not enough for what you did. I just undid a mistake, that's all. (LOIS AND MARTHA CHUCKLING) (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) How did you get the house back from the bank? I bought the bank. The whole bank? It's like a reflex with me. I don't know. What? It's actually the worst job you can get in a crime lab. But my foot's in the door. Yeah, I got a recommendation from a friend. This is like a "job" job? "Job" job. Look at you go. (TYPING) LOIS: Darkness, the truest darkness, is not the absence of light. It is the conviction that the light will never return. BRUCE: Must be 100, 150 feet. Must be. Big round table. Six chairs, right there. But room for more. But room for more. LOIS: But the light always returns to show us things familiar. Home, family, and things entirely new, or long overlooked. It shows us new possibilities and challenges us to pursue them. THIEF: Yeah, and Jerry Monasco runs the whole kit. I mean, he did the Bilbao job two years ago. Yeah, he has it all in storage in Croydon. - The Belgian? - Right, yeah, the Belgian. LOIS: This time, the light shone on the heroes coming out of the shadows to tell us we won't be alone again. Our darkness was deep and seemed to swallow all hope. But these heroes were here the whole time to remind us that hope is real, that you can see it. All you have to do is look up in the sky. (SONIC BOOM) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Able 2020 I can't tell you how much I appreciate you doing this. Not at all, Barry. Curious myself. Yeah, and it's not like a competition, you know? Well, it is a competition. But, you know, it's not like a macho measuring thing. But if I win, you're off the team. (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) - No... - Oof. If I win, Bruce said something about you having to take us all to brunch? Oh, see, now that's cold. That's a betrayal. I feel stung by that. - Okay, but if I win, I get to tell everyone. - Deal. Which coast? Ah, you know, I've never seen the Pacific. Which is that way. Because the sun and it's... (DOOR BUZZES) (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) GUARD 1: All right, let's keep it moving. GUARD 2: (ON RADIO) Come on, Luthor. Let's go. Luthor! All right, stop jerking around, Luthor, or I'm gonna have to come in there. (LAUGHING) Ah! There he is. Welcome aboard. Care for a glass of Gouut de Diamants? I was just celebrating God's return out of the ground and back up into the sky. He and his odd little friends are forming some sort of league. DEATHSTROKE: You better not be wasting my time. No. I have too much to live for and more important things to do. We have to level the playing field, Mr. Wilson. To put it plainly ` shouldn't we have a league of our own?